Thinking about making the move to the west coast? Washington, Oregon, and California are all beautiful places to live, but some of their cities are more welcoming to LGBT people than others. Many cities that top “Most Friendly U.S. Gay Cities” lists are on the west coast. Here are a few places you may want to consider.
San Francisco, of course, is the most well-known gay city in California (and perhaps in the entire U.S.). While it might seem cliché, there’s also something kind of special about living in San Francisco as a gay person. One thing’s for sure: you won’t have to worry about acceptance here.
Seattle, Washington, has a very large LGBT population. In fact, among cities of its size, it has the largest percentage of gay and lesbian people in the U.S. While it’s already the Pacific Northwest’s largest city, Seattle continues to rapidly grow. It’s not just the LGBT community moving to Seattle—the city is drawing people from all walks of life to it.
Portland, Oregon, is another great place for west coast LGBT. It’s the largest city in Oregon, and like Seattle, Portland continues to grow fairly rapidly. In addition to being a popular LGBT destination, Portland has become something of a hipster town, too.
Los Angeles has one of the most diverse cultures in the country. You’ll find people of all types in LA, many of whom are there trying to make it big in the entertainment industry. If you love living in a big city, LA is definitely for you. If, on the other hand, the crush of people and trying to get across eight lanes of fast-moving traffic doesn’t appeal to you, you might want to think about a different city. Housing costs in LA also tend to be fairly high in a number of areas.
If you like this area of California, though, you might look at San Diego. The city is only about 120 miles south of LA, which means it’s close enough to drive to the City of Angels for special events. San Diego has a much smaller feel to it, though, and many people find its clear blue waters and blue skies to be much more relaxing. The city is also growing pretty rapidly and is home to a good-sized LGBT population.
These are just a few of the amazing cities on the west coast that may appeal to LGBT people. A gay or lesbian realtor can provide more information about these and other great places to live.